After a few rocky months on the campaign trail, Toronto city council now officially has 25 councillors.
Voters filled out their ballots on Monday with polls closing at 8 p.m.
Longtime politicians and new faces squared off after Premier Doug Ford pushed a bill to shrink the size of city council down to 25 from 47.
The city pushed back against the Progressive Conservative government’s bill and ultimately took the province to court in August.
In September, a judge found that the bill violated voters and candidate’s freedom of expression rights but the victory was short lived. Ford and his government won a stay of appeal just one week later.
The new 25-ward system combines a number of boundaries and pitted some incumbents against each other.
Here’s a look at who came out on top:
Ward 1 Etobicoke North: Michael Ford
Incumbent Michael Ford, first elected to council in a 2016 byelection, has won in Etobicoke North. He defeated another incumbent, Vincent Crisanti, who was a council ally.
“I have an incredible amount of respect for Vince," Ford said after his win. "Vince has done incredible work for our community over the last eight years and I will look to him for advice and mentorship as we continue to grow our community and invest in our community and to move key projects forward."
Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre: Stephen Holyday
Incumbent Stephen Holyday has defeated fellow incumbent John Campbell in Ward 2. Holyday is the son of Doug Holyday, a former councillor and the former mayor of what was then the municipality of Etobicoke.
Ward 3 Etobicoke-Lakeshore: Mark Grimes
Sitting councillor Mark Grimes has been reelected in Etobicoke Lakeshore area, now called Ward 3. He was first elected in 2003.
Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park: Gord Perks
Gord Perks, an outspoken opponent of Premier Doug Ford’s plan to cut the size of city council, has won re-election in Ward 4.
Ward 5 York South-Weston: Frances Nunziata
Incumbent Frances Nunziata, the speaker of Toronto City Council, has been re-elected. She defeated another incumbent, Frank Di Giorgio, to win the race.
Ward 6 York Centre: James Pasternak
James Pasternak, who currently represents Ward 10, has won in Ward 6 York Centre, defeating incumbent Maria Augineri. Both had said they felt “sad” about having to run against a colleague.
Ward 7 Humber River-Black Creek: Anthony Perruzza
Incumbent councillor Anthony Perruzza has defeated Giorgio Mammoliti, to win Ward 7 Humber River-Black Creek. According to polls conducted to the campaign, this was not a surprise win. Perruzza had been favoured to win.
“If Giorgio Mammoliti walked into this room he would have seen the face of this community in its entirety that’s because we don’t exclude people, we bring people together," Perruzza said on Monday night. "The reason why I am victorious tonight is because all of the community came together and no one was left out."
"That’s why we’re victorious and Giorgio Mammoliti is not.”
After being defeated Mammoliti said he does not want to see frowns in the room.
"To my colleagues at city hall, it has been an absolute pleasure being with you - through thick and thin. I know I can be the most aggressive politician on the floor with some of the most intense discussion on the council floor and I apologize to any of my colleagues who may have taken offence over the years but I was just doing my job and I was doing it the best I can.”
Ward 8 Eglinton-Lawrence: Mike Colle
Mike Colle, a former MPP and the father of Josh Colle, who had been the councilor for the previous Ward 15 since 2010, has won Ward 8. He defeated sitting councillor Christin Carmichael Greb.
Ward 9 Davenport: Ana Bailao
Ana Bailão has won in the newly-defined Ward 9, which consists of portions of Wards 17, 18 and 19. Bailão was elected as Ward 18 councillor in 2010. She is the chair of the city’s affordable housing committee.
Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York: Joe Cressy
Joe Cressy has won re-election in Ward 10 Spadina-Ford York. He was the only sitting councilor vying for the seat.
Ward 11 University-Rosedale: Mike Layton
Mike Layton, the only incumbent running in Ward 11, has won the seat. Layton is the son of former federal NDP leader and former Toronto city councillor Jack Layton.
Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul's: Josh Matlow
Incumbent Josh Matlow has defeated fellow councilor Joe Mihevc. Matlow had a slight edge going into election day, according to one poll. The race became one of the fiercest in the city after John Tory endorsed Mihevc.
“My opponent had everyone from major organizations sending people out to help, the mayor of Toronto going after me but I had heart and I had a group of you from this community and the people who I work with and love who came out and rolled up their sleeves and figured out how to do things sometimes on the fly but we did it and we did it big,” Matlow said in front of his supporters on Monday night.
Ward 13 Toronto Centre: Kristyn Wong-Tam
Kristyn Wong-Tam has been re-elected to council, defeating Lucy Troisi, who had been appointed to council in 2017. Wong-Tam was also facing competition from high-profile candidate George Smitherman, a former Ontario cabinet minister and failed mayoral candidate.
“Obviously because the ward is so big some of the neighbourhoods I’ve picked up are strong priority neighbourhoods – neighbourhoods that will need attention, neighbourhoods where we have seen some neglect of city services and we need to be able to go in to make sure people feel safe,” Wong-Tam said.
Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth: Paula Fletcher
In a bittersweet win, Paula Fletcher has taken Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth. She was facing off against her good friend and incumbent Mary Fragedakis. The two rarely differed in policy or vote.
Ward 15 Don Valley West: Jaye Robinson
Incumbent Jaye Robinson has been re-elected to council, defeating fellow councillor Jon Burnside. Robinson, who had a strong lead in the polls, was first elected in 2010 but spent many prior years working at city hall.
“I was worried about many things and many outcomes. It was a nail bitter throughout the entire experience. This was unprecedented – what was happening across the city – and we didn’t know what to expect," she said after being declared the winner.
Ward 16 Don Valley East: Denzil Minnan-Wong
Incumbent Denzil Minnan-Wong has won Ward 16 Don Valley East. He was facing a strong challenge from David Caplan, a former provincial cabinet minister. The two were effectively tied in the polls, heading into election day.
Ward 17 Don Valley North: Shelley Carroll
Shelley Carroll has re-claimed a seat on council, which she gave up earlier this year to run provincially. Jonathan Tsao, who had been appointed to fill her seat, was not seeking re-election.
Ward 18 Willowdale John Filion
Incumbent John Filion, who had been set to retire before the provincial government cut city council to 25, has won his ward. Filion said he chose to run again to ensure “developers, land speculators and lobbyists” didn’t take control of a smaller city hall. He was facing several political newcomers in the race.
Ward 19 Beaches-East York: Brad Bradford
Brad Bradford, who received one of only a few endorsements made by John Tory, has won in Ward 19. There were no incumbents running, but former MP Matthew Kellway was a candidate in the race.
Ward 20 Scarborough Southwest Gary Crawford
Coun. Gary Crawford has been re-elected. He came out on top, following a close race against incumbent councillor Michelle Holland-Berardinetti.
Ward 21 Scarborough Centre: Michael Thompson
Coun. Michael Thompson, who has already been on council for four terms, will be returning. He was the only incumbent seeking re-election in Ward 21.
Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt: Jim Karygiannis
Incumbent Jim Karygiannis has defeated long-time councillor Norm Kelly, following a tight and bitter race. The two were pitted against each other after city council was cut to 25 wards.
“I want to thank my colleague Norm Kelly for putting his name forward. I am very ecstatic to represent the same area I was representing before and for me, Scarborough-Agincourt is my passion," Karygiannis said on Monday night.
“I represented the whole area for much longer than Norm Kelly and the people of Scarborough-Agincourt know my track record. I live here; I am not visiting like Norm Kelly who lives down in Port Union.”
Ward 23 Scarborough North: Cynthia Lai
A political newcomer, Cynthia Lai, has won Ward 23 Scarborough North. The ward was one of only two that didn’t have an incumbent running.
Ward 24 Scarborough-Guildwood: Paul Ainslie
Incumbent Paul Ainslie has won re-election. He was first elected to council in 2006, and was one of only a few incumbents who didn’t have to face off against a sitting councillor.
Ward 25 Scarborough-Rouge Park: Jennifer McKelvie
Environmental scientist Jennifer McKelvie has won in Ward 25, defeating incumbent Neethan Shan. Polls leading up to election day showed she held a strong lead.
